York Town News
Chief opposes Coventry Hall as police station site
Selectman Macdonald promises fight if proposed
By Jennifer L. Saunders
YORK - In the wake of recent discussions of a new Town Hall and the ongoing need to find a site the town's seriously outdated police station, some local officials have been taking a second look at the Coventry Hall property.A police station in the middle of York Village, however, is something several selectmen and the chief of police have said is not a practical idea.
The town recently approved a contract with the firm SMRT to conduct a feasibility study on the need for a new police station and, Police Chief Douglas Bracy confirmed, part of that process will be to look at parcels across town as potential sites.
However, Bracy said, he cannot imagine the land accessed between the historic Coventry Hall and the former Ice House on Long Sands Road as providing an adequate site for a public safety facility.
"We've had four building committees look at this, and that (the village center) was the one place that I've said and others have said that it shouldn't be," Bracy said.
Speaking specifically to locating such a facility on the Coventry Hall parcel, which voters approved for purchase at the polls in May, Bracy cited several problems.
"I consider that lot to be a residential area," he said. "I really don't want to be around a residential area because we're dealing with people all night long. … When you've got 15 or 20 arrests on a weekend, often those are later in the night."
And, he said, there is the issue of the traffic volume on Long Sands Road and Route 1-A/York Street, especially in the summer months.
"We've discussed that with the fire station," Bracy said of past concerns about the location of the York Fire Department on York Street. "That's one of the reasons they talked about moving the fire station out of there."
Selectman Torbert Macdonald Jr., who resides in one of the residential neighborhoods closest to the property, said recent suggestions the site might serve a dual purpose as home for a Town Hall and police station could muddy the waters when, realistically, a public safety complex is not a reasonable expectation.
However, in a letter to the editor sent to The Independent admonishing that perspective, Selectman Len Dorrian said it is in the town's best interest to explore multiple uses for the site.
"Article Fifty-Four on the May 20th Budget Referendum stated that the Coventry Hall property to be purchased for, and I quote, '…constructing a municipal facility'. It did not restrict use to a Town Hall building," Dorrian wrote. "York voters approved this article based on this Statement of Fact by almost a two to one margin."
Dorrian reiterated the Board of Selectmen's position that it would review an array of potential uses for the property and said no decision will be made without complete analysis and study.
"Finally, combining a Town Hall with a Police Facility may save taxpayer money. All else being equal (and in most cases they are not) it would be cost-effective (Kittery for example)," he wrote.
In contrast to Dorrian's desire to further study the Coventry Hall property as a public safety site, fellow selectman Macdonald made clear his opposition to any such plans. Macdonald said that while the need for a police station is undeniable, the selectmen can expect a fight if it is proposed for the York Village parcel.
"The neighborhood of the Heights is a modest neighborhood and a family neighborhood, and we stick together and organize when we need to get something done," he said.
The residents organized to fight a possible wireless communications tower on the York Water District site in the center of the neighborhood, he pointed out, and the York Water District put a stop to the plan.
"And we'll organize to keep 24-hour-a-day sirens out of the neighborhood," Macdonald said, adding, "Let them put it down where the rich folks live on Western Point."
Selectmen Chairman David Marshall and Vice Chairman Dwight Bardwell cautioned that no one should be jumping to conclusions on the property's potential use.
"I believe it's premature to spend a lot of time arguing about this, because I believe the studies we will do on each will make it clear where each of these things belong," Marshall said, adding he believes the board must plan first and only then determine the right location for its facilities. "I think we've done that for a municipal building; I think we haven't finished doing that for a police station yet."
Marshall explained that one of the first steps in the SMRT contract is to assess viable sites for a police station.
Like Bracy, he said he believes that for such reasons such as traffic and character of the area, that study will verify that "you don't want to place your police station there, but you do want to put your town hall and municipal complex there."
Marshall said he supports the idea of collocating municipal facilities when possible, but pointed out that the legislative agreement behind the consolidation of York and York Beach into one town requires a police station in York Beach. If the York Police Department were to move to the village, an annex would need to be constructed in proximity to York Beach - defeating the goal of cost savings.
A key priority, Marshall said, is to find land for a public safety complex in the beach area "with Route 1 access, which is something we're still exploring, with or without York's Wild Kingdom."
Bardwell said the focus should be on allowing the planning process to move forward as Coventry Hall will be one of the properties reviewed by SMRT for potential use for a police facility.
"Shortly, I believe the selectmen will establish a building committee to start the process of analyzing the land for municipal use," he said. "I understand the excitement from the general public about the acquisition of this land, and the potential for what could be built upon it. However, we need to go through a process to establish the best use for it."
Bardwell pointed out that before the request to purchase the land was included on the May ballot, the selectmen reviewed the site and its potential to support a building that is at least 30,000 square feet in size.
"At this point in time, we need to perform the needs assessments to figure out what the Police Department, as well as the Town Hall, needs as far as space requirements," Bardwell said. "As we move forward, I think it is entirely possible that the space requirements for both departments will rule out one use or another."
Bardwell and Marshall said the board should wait to hear from the experts as to the best use of the property.
Bracy said he hopes the focus will be on planning for the future, as the current police station was a "temporary fix" back in 1981 that has extended into 25 years of use. With almost 60 full- and part-time employees and an array of other issues, Bracy said, the need is to find the correct site for a new facility that can support the Police Department's current and future needs.
The SMRT study is anticipated to be complete in November or December, Bracy said.
